I guess after you graduate from film school you would get a job making films. What is it you are hoping to do after college?

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

You should have already figured that out before you applied. Obviously you will have to try get a job (whether it be just to raise money or actually in movie business) and then start making movies.

How easy is it going to be to find a job after schooling?

It's easy to get a job as a production assistant - that position doesn't need any skills or experience so film school isn't even needed. It's hard getting a job as a director of photography. I got my first job (doing make up effects) soon after high school, without going to college at all. It was pretty easy.

What is it you want to do after you graduate?

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What is it you want to do after you graduate?

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I think that is the key question because you can tailor your film school experience to maximize the chances of success in what you choose. If you decide you want to work in sound while everyone else is fighting for DP and Director positions you might find yourself very wanted and making good connections and really learning your skills. Same with editing or some of other less than famous positions.

If you don't know you could lose a year or two just figuring out what you want to do.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

I want to be a director to be honest, I want to be able to take a script and be able to film it myself in my own interpretation or film it as I would see it.

I want to basically do all of the above on film, but I want to be able to pay for the college soon after I get out. NOt exactly the next day, but a few years later.

Directors are well paid in Hollywood. I think guild minimum is 100k. The problem is nearly everyone at film school wants to be a director from what I understand. So my advice is get good at it and stand out from the crowd.

Make digital films during each summer if possible. Make friends and alliances with other students at filmschool, especially those that don't want to Direct. Shoot someone elses script in exchange for screenwriting help on yours. Let someone else shoot one of yours to see how a director might change the vision. The goal should not be a giant catalog of films written and directed by you but to LEARN and DO everything possible and make the connections that will help you when its time to make your final film because that is the one people will see and judge you on when you graduate.

But then again I didn't go to film school so perhaps I'm wrong, still that's the way I'd attack the thing.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

I know the traditional way of doing things is to go to college, get your degree, get a job and pay off college.

Essential if you want to be a doctor, lawyer, scientist, accountant, teacher. But not needed if you want to direct movies. No producer is going to ask to see your film degree if you have a great, marketable script and a killer reel of short films. And no producer is going to care about your film degree if you can't deliver a great script.

There is no right answer. Some people need the discipline of school - some have enough drive without it. When I look back on the four years (and money) I would have spent in college I don't regret working on film sets and going into debt making my own movies instead.

HA I"M BACK

How interesting that you should choose Milwaukee. Have you visited? I live in Northern Wisconsin and I visited and found in interesting. If you've already minored in Hollywood type cinema it will be interesting to see what Milwaukee will do to your style. When I visited I found it very avant grade and relying heavily upon quality shots, not acting, which they view as a cinema crutch (yes I am indeed confused). The videos shot are not at all the typical narrative boy meets girl filmschool stuff. Its very interesting and will most certainly male you examine realms of your brains you didn't knwo you had.

I would check with the guidance office about job placement. If I remember correctly I never got an answer, but it seems to me that because they're so starkly independent film, they don't really work that hard on placement; they expect you to make it on your own.

Very interesting school. i was thinking of taking my minor there, except for the fact that its to close to my bloody home.

That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough! I'm going to clown college!

I went to USC, minored in film because the way they pick students for their major in film is totally inane.

Anyways I took enough of the film classes to know you can learn the production end of it just about anywhere. What you really go to film school for is the criticism or exposure to film and film theories that you wouldnt hear about elsewhere. It will open you up to things you never thought about.

The downside is my film programs cost an arm and a leg and your not going to get great work right after you graduate. Most of my friends, after finishing the program have branched out into editing gigs, producing gigs for local sports shows and the occasional documentary. I was more on the writing end so I went and got a teaching degree as well - which is a nice backup.

Just recently (about four years out from our degrees) have we all networked and pulled enough resources to start our first feature legnth film (which is now in development hell). lol. Point is its an uphill battle, its not impossible but it wont happen overnight.

Keep that in mind before you sign your life away to a loan officer.

I never went to fil m school, I didn't even graduate high school. I got exposure to film and film theories by reading books and talking to film professionals. I wonder if I really missed a lot of theory or was never opened up to things I never thought about by not going to film school.

During the years I would have been in college I networked with other crew members I met on film sets, pooled enough resources to make our first f eature length film which got made and a small direct-to-video release before I turned 21. All without paying any money to a school.

I agree with you ghg - it's an up hill battle. We have so many different choices and there are many different paths to becoming a director. I'm really glad I didn't have a back-up plan - like teaching. The battle was so hard for me, there were many times I would have used that back-up. Because I didn't have it I was forced to make my living making m ovies.

What company are you in development with?

question for RJS Scharz and Certified Instigator: Education's the key to success as we all know as film school to a film career but also believe there're other path to be success in life. my question's how did u do what u did to get started? how would one starts something like you did? Im willing to start from the ground up jux to build skills...film school's running in my mind ? the same time. my dream's to become a director. Jungle-War-Lord

CnJ

I'm a writer. Technical writer by day, screenwriter by night. I never went to filmschool but a good chunk of my crew were students. Making a screenplay into a movie was my hope at trying to get someone to notice since having a screenplay read in Hollywood is a bit of a crapshoot. Success? I'm not done with my first movie yet so perhaps I sound more successful than I am because I have a lot of book learning and occasionally I quote back things other more experienced folks say.

I'm still an unknown who will be happy if my picture opens up a few doors wide enough to get my screenplays a fair read. When I'm done shooting and editing I'll spend a lot of time polishing my screenplays so I have a few ready in case someone asks.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA